Knitting machine and method for making open-work fabric



NOV. 27, 1934. N L N 1,982,257

KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING OPEN WORK FABRIC Filed Aug. 1,1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ISnventor new? Zea/n Nov. 27,

Filed Aug. 1, 1931 N. LEVIN KNITTING- MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MAKING OPENWORK FABRIC ULBB ' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZSnnentor (IttornegS Patented Nov.27, 1934 KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR NIAKING OPEN-WVORK FABRICNathan Levin, Trenton, N. J., assignor to H.

Brintcn Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication August 1, 1931, Serial No. 554,570

7 Claims.

My invention relates to an open work fabric and to a method and machinefor making the same. It is an object of the same to provide a novelfabric with simple and inexpensive means by which the same can be madeon a knitting machine.

Referring to the drawings, which are made a part of this application andin which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical section of a machine in which the featuresof my invention are embodied, 1

Fig. 2, a front elevation of one of my special instrumentalities,

Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective of the lower end of such aninstrumentality,

Fig. 4, a diagrammatic view in elevation, illustrating the method ofoperation,

Fig. 5, a vertical section of the machine with the parts in the positionat the right end of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6, a similar view showing the parts at the second position in Fig.4,

Fig. 7, a similar view showing parts at the third position,

Fig. 8, a similar view of parts at the fourth position, and

Fig. 9, a conventionalized view of a detail of the fabric.

Taking up first the fabric shown in Fig. 9, this fabric is an ordinaryplain knitted fabric comprising a plurality of wales a, b, c, d, e, ,f,9.11, the courses being marked 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 for convenienceof reference. In wales b, c, and d, e, I have illustrated open workformations such as constitute the subject matter of my improvement inthe fabric. Considering wales b, c, it will be seen that the fullcomplement of stitches is present but that in course 13 a sinkerloopbetween two of the stitches is not in its normal;

position (thereby leaving a hole), but has been expanded so aspractically to surround two of the adjacent stitches in the respectivewales b and c, as indicated at 16. In like manner a sinker loop incourse 12 has been removed from its normal position so as to leave ahole and has been positioned about two stitches of the same course inthe respective wales d and e. Obviously such ornamentation may occur atvarious points in the same wale or be so arranged as to form desirablefigures in the fabric, etc.

Referring now to Fig. 1, I have shown my invention as embodied in acircular knitting ma chine of the type having a needle cylinder 17, acam ring 18, indepedent needles 19, a sinker bed 20, sinkers 21 and asinker cam ring 22,

though it will be understood that the mechanisms shown could readily beincorporated in other machines such as straight machines withindependent needles, etc.

Above the needle cylinder there is a finger cylinder 23, which will berotatable or stationary according as the needle cylinder isrotatable orstationary. This finger cylinder has fingers 24. mounted in longitudinalslots of the cylinder, the fingers being preferably provided with rela-66 tive projections 25 engaging in a corresponding groove of the fingercylinder and forming pivots for the fingers. Spring rings at 26 belowthe pivots of the fingers serve to hold them in the position indicatedin Fig. 1. Each finger is pro- 70 vided with one or more butts 27. Thesebutts are preferably formed on the fingers in the manner described inthe patent to Ames No. 1,780,328.

In the present case there is shown a finger which originally hasthirteen such butts, all so made as to be frangible so that they canreadily be removed by placing a tool against the face of a butt which isheld in a vise or other suitable holder, the tool being then lightlytapped with a hammer or the like to break off the undesired butt. Aseries of actuating devices 28 is shown as mounted vis-a-vis the buttpositions on the fingers, which actuating devices when moved inwardtoward the finger cylinder will contact with approximately positionedbutts to rock the fingers on their pivots 25 so as to move themtransversely of the needle series. The actuating devices may be such asshown in Ames Reissue Patent No. 17,705 of June 17, 1930, and may bemoved by any suitable pattern mechanism, so that the ornamentation maybevaried both by varying the order in which the actuatingIdevices aremoved to operative position and by varying the butts on the fingers. I

At their lower ends, the fingers 24 have forks 29 which are separated attheirlower ends to a distance greater than the width between twoadjacent needles of the series and are bent forward to provide fingers30 which are preferably bent at their forward ends into approximateparallelism as indicated at 31 and beveled off at 32 so that the extremeforward ends form what is approximately a pointed instrument. The forksare preferably of spring metal to permit them to spread in passing fromposition C to position D.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 8, Fig. 4 may be taken as illustrating so muchas necessasry of the needles of a machine having a single yarn feed oras illustrating one feed of a multiple-feed machine the entire fingerabove described forms 110 a loop spreader and assumes essentially fourdifferent positions in the formation of a course of stitches wherein anopen work structure such as shown in Fig. 9 is to be made. At position Ain Fig. 4, corresponding to Fig. 5, the loop spreader has been broughtforward sufficiently to catch the sinker loop between two needles asthey are drawn down to draw the yarns across the sinkers.

As the needles are drawn down this loop will be 10 expanded as indicatedat B in Fig. 4, corresponding to the position of Fig. 6, the loopspreader holding its position. As the needles pass onward to theposition C of Fig. 4 they are elevated to normal position whereby theexpanded sinker loop is laid around them as indicated at C and in Fig.7. Thereafter the finger is withdrawn I as shown in Fig. 8 and at D inFig. 4, so that the enlarged sinker loop lies around them as furtherindicated at E in Fig. 4. When the loops of the next course are drawnthe stitches on the needles and the enlarged sinker loop will be castofi together in drawing the loops indicated at 33, 34 in Fi 9.

It will be understood that many changes may be made in the means aboveillustrated and described and in the fabric formed thereby and thereforeI do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described inthe specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a series of needles, meanscoacting therewith to knit a fabric, a slotted finger bed coaxial withsaid cylinder, a sinker loop spreader comprising an elongated body,lying in a slot of said bed, said loop spreader having at its lower endfingers approximately at right angles to the body, the fingers beingspaced adjacent the body to a distance greater than that between twoadjacent needles and approaching each other at their outer ends,

means for actuating said spreader to cause the outer ends of the forksto enter between a pair of needles and engage under a sinker looppreliminary to the formation of loops in a course by the needles, andmeans for withdrawing said 'loop spreader preliminary to the formationof another course whereby said sinker loop is laid about said pair ofneedles, said loop spreaders being provided with differentiated spacedbutts, 5@ and pattern means acting upon the outer ends 'of said buttsfor actuating said butts to vary the action of the loop spreaders.

2. In a knitting machine, a series of needles, means coacting therewithto knit a fabric, a sinker loop spreader comprising an elongated body--having at its lower end forks spaced adjacent the body to adistancegreater than that between two adjacent needles and approaching eachother at their outer ends, means for actuating said spreader to causethe outer ends of the forks -to enter between a pair of needles andengage under a sinker loop preliminary to the formation of loops in acourse by the needles, and means for withdrawing said loop spreaderpreliminary to the formation of another course whereby said sinker loopis laid about said pair of needles, said loop spreaders being pivotallymounted above said needles, differentiated frangible butts on the bodyportions of said loop spreaders, and means acting selectively on saidbutts for varying the pattern produced.

3. In a knitting machine, a series of needles, means coacting therewithto knit a fabric, a sinker loop spreader comprising an elongated bodyhaving at its lower end forks spaced adjacent the body to a distancegreater than that between two adjacent needles and approaching eachother at their outer ends, means for actuating said spreader to causethe outer ends of the forks to enter between a pair of needles andengage under a sinker loop preliminary to the formation of loops in acourse by the needles, and means for withdrawing said loop spreaderpreliminary to the formation of another course whereby said sinker loopis laid about said pair of needles, said loop spreaders being pivotallymounted above said needles, differentiated frangible butts on the bodyportions of said loop spreaders, and a stack of actuating devices eachoperatively related to the position of a butt on a loop spreader,whereby the pattern may be varied by removal of butts and also byselective actuation of said actuating devices.

4. A sinker loop spreader for a knitting machine, said spreader having ashank with a series of frangible butts and having means extending fromthe shank at the same edge thereof as said butts for transferring asinker loop to a needle of the machine, and a rounded enlargement at theopposite edge providing a pivot for the spreader.

5. In a knitting machine a finger cylinder, a series of sinker loopspreaders pivotally supported thereby, a series of frangible butts oneach spreader said butts varying in length as their distance from thepivot of the spreader, pattern means related to the various levels atwhich said butts occur, and loop spreading means extending from saidspreaders approximately parallel tosaid butts.

6. In a circular knitting machine, a needle bed, independent needlestherein, a finger bed spaced from said needle bed, sinker loop spreaderspiv otally supported by said finger bed in operative relation to theneedles, a spring ring acting on said fingers below their pivots to movethem to idle position, and selective means acting on said fingers abovetheir pivots.

7. A device as in claim 6, said fingers having selectively removablebutts thereon, and pattern means coacting with said but-ts to actuatethe fingers.

NATHAN LEVIN.

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